we have a lot on our golf plate,” he said in understatement. The two championship golf courses are more wide-open and forgiving than the Hickory Hills South Course. Hills are more subtle. Trees are few and far between. But the conditioning quality is impeccable from tees to fairways to greens. Both Spillman and Nix spend their days going back and forth between Hickory Hills and Frankfort to ensure that projects are moving for- ward and that guests are being treated like country club members. “There’s a reason why both Hickory Hills and Green Garden are called ‘country clubs’ even though both are public facilities,” said Nix. “We want every guest to feel as if they are arriving as a member of a private club. They might only stay for one four-hour round. But we want their stay to be extra special.” That specialness extends to the food and beverage quality in the clubhouse, at the driving range, at the golf outing dining areas, and inside the party rooms and ban- quet halls. “We pride ourselves on return guests at Hickory Hills, Chateau Del Mar, PGN, and Green Garden,” said Antonia Gianakas. “This is the gold standard of anyone in the hos- pitality industry. Guests of our golf courses have such a good experience that they can’t wait to return. And businesses that plan their outings and events rebook year after year.” Matina Sr. added that still another gold standard exists across all of the Gianak- as properties. “We treat our employees like family members and they reciprocate,” she said. “Some of our staff members have been with us for 30 years. A few have even been with us for 50 years!” Entering this new era of Hickory Hills, the PGN golf range/simulator facility, and Green Garden, the three generations of Gianakas women take pride in their role as trailblazers in an industry that has historical- ly been dominated by men. “We are thrilled by how many women players we now see across all of our golf courses,” said Antonia. “There’s been an amazing transformation of golf today, which includes not only more young golfers but also more women golfers. The future of golf is very exciting.” The long, celebrated history of the Hickory Hills and Green Garden properties heads into the new year with broad plans for expansion, renovations, and improve- ments that will make the guest experience even better. For tee times, information, or to book an outing, visit the property websites: www. hhcountryclub.com and www.greengar- dencc.com.
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